It’s been a while since my last project. I just bought a house that has a perfect room for HT (currently a workshop).It’s not “huge” but still a decent 17x14.

Any of you know of good sites for things like HT seating, projector screens and things like that?Seating needs is for 3 people, one of which is a kid that might sit on mommy’s lap!I was also considering some sort of “bar stool” type of chairs in the back for company (so they don’t get too comfortable).

Any other hints you might have like “fixed screen is a must” or “no difference between roll-up and fixed” or soundproofing tips.

Hey it's a new house and he didn't say what kind of workshop it was. It could have been the last owners scrap booking room for all we know.

Gratz on the new house!!!

All my HT research on projector gear is now 2 years old. I do hate my Buddy's hanging screen though. I definitely say fixed. If you use WilsonArt designer white laminate like I did, it can also be used to throw your spaghetti at to see if it's cooked then wipe it right down.

I also did something similar to your bar stool idea. Behind the 2nd couch, I built a bar behind it that attaches to the raised platform. It helps make the raised couch look like it belongs instead of being on a raised Island. I have a couple of wooden saddle style bar stools behind it. Great for when you want to watch a movie and snack or for like you said, guests you hope will leave early.

Things I wish I did differently... Only one thing. Although I used 2" conduit for my HDMI cable run to the projector on the ceiling and I was careful to use obtuse rounded angles where it needed to corner, Somehow I just got my cable stuck very solidly in it. It always acted up a bit (it's a long run) and I wanted to try a replacement I ordered. It must have looped inside there somehow in order to fetch up. It went through sooo easy the first time, I can't imagine how else it could have gotten stuck. I'm currently trying to rig a strong metal hook to the end of an old metal fish to try and salvage it.

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With great power comes Awesome irresponsibility.

@Mark: the workshop has served its purpose. The former owner (!) made an astonishing job renovating and finishing each room (REALLY amazing). All is done. Time to pack up the tools and let the space return to its fundamental nature: awesome entertainment!

I like my Lazy Boy love seat with cup holders. That's one option you could look at. I've also seen sectional furniture where cup holders can be added between sectionals. So, end result is comfortable recliners, cloth or leather, with cup holders.

I just like to pull that kind of stuff out of its original context. Gitty up!

Eric, warmest congratulations on all your changes.

I'm assuming good-to-excellent light control if you have a dedicated room. Unless you plan to ALSO have a plasma in the room for casual viewing, gaming, whatever, I don't see any good reason to NOT have a fixed screen. The DIY screen forum at AVS might scramble your brain, but Murph's idea about the Wilsonart laminate actually tests out pretty well. That's what I plan to do when/if I'm lucky enough to have a dedicated room

It seems like somebody is always talking about projectors around here. My understanding is that the high-end guys (Nick B and Mike D) like the $3-5,000 JVC and Sony models. If you want to spend less, I am still looking for the first person who is truly disappointed by a Panasonic projector or plasma.

Personally, for three people, I like a couch instead of individual seats. But I LIKE sitting next to my wife, so YMMV.

Even though I don't have a dedicated room, I do have a bar and barstools behind the couch for additional viewers. I like that arrangement quite a lot.

Fire away. SO many topics to cover here. Don't even worry about the projector until you get building.

Pick out your seating location and screen size, then your speaker locations will fall into place. Iron those out if possible before construction (3 months from now if you are lucky without having a new house "to do" list).

If possible, get the exact dimensions (maybe you have them) and try to mock up the space somewhere that you have access to now to get a feel for screen distances and sizes.

If you opt to go fixed screen (great option in my opinion for a dedicated room since motorized screens get pricey for decent ones that don't look wavey when down), keep in mind that if you go with a panel type install using the WilsonArt stuff, that you will be a little more limited on size since you obviously have a maximum sheet size. Now, that "limit" may still be bigger than what you need in the end and not be an issue at all, but it is something to consider. If you can't find a panel type material big enough for what you want, then you have to go fabric.

For the space, I would not do a false wall like I did. It will easily eat up 2-2.5 more feet of depth in the room. I had about 24 feet, so losing 2 was not a problem. This also makes the install easier.

Soundproofing. Oh boy, LOTS of info here. This really depends on what the floor, ceiling, any existing walls, etc are made out of. The key points to "soundproofing" are isolation, dampening, and absorption. Physcially isolate the inside of the room from the outside, dampen the sound waves with mass, and absorb everything else. OK, so that is very simplistic, but it give the rationalization behind double or staggered walls, floating floors, and second isolated ceiling joists or hat channel for isolation (physically reduce the common in-room and outside-room from each other). Double drywall with dampening material like Greenglue for the mass and dampening of large soundwaves (low freq. stuff). And insolation (pink fluffy stuff) AND air cavities in the walls for absorption.

Note, one of the most overlooked thing in soundproofing is the door. People like glass doors, french doors, etc, but if oyu want sound to stay in (or out) of the theater, then the door is a big, giant week point for most people. You don't have to drop $6,000 on a comercial grade soundproof door, or even have to use some automatic door seal or anything. Yes, these are great products, but we all have budgets, right?

I could not believe how much a nice solid core steel exterior door can block the sound. I went for a 6 panel door with an extra thick door jamb since my walls were thick. People say to go with a flush door since the "panel" areas have less core since they are thinner there, or to add two .5" sheets of MDF to the door with green glue in the middle, etc, but then you are not only adding a lot more work, but you need really strong specialty hinges that run about $75 a piece (you will need 3-4). Again, my $220 door (was $120 until I added the extra deep jamb). I also used a nice exterior bottom door sill to create a solid seal under the door (where the biggest gaps normally are) for about $20 is all. Again, I could get a better result with other options, but for $220 for a perfect fit with nothing to do but paint and hang the door, this was great and WAY better than anything I've ever had before. The difference with the door shut vs. open is unbelievable.

I would run some nice 2" conduit from the equipment area to the projector, and not worry about the rest. Sure, speaker wires can get damaged, but if you test them before drywall, and then again right after, you can fix any problems. If you want more piece of mind, then use 1.5" blue "smurf-tube" for the speaker wires.

I LOVE the counter-top/bar stool idea. We would have done that for a 3rd row in our theater if I hadn't done a false wall. It offers a place for more viewers with minimal space lost due to seating, and is a place to bring in food, etc for regular viewing.

Don't forget about room treatments too. Soundproofing is NOT going to help with the in-room acoustics. Bass traps in the corners, and some panels on the walls will do wonders. The nice thing is that these get added when the room is closer to being done, so you can plan for that however you want.

As for equipment, I bought pretty much everything when the price was right for me, but that meant having brand new equipment sit for about 6 months from date of purchase until they were installed and used. I would have gotten the same projector, but paid more 6 months later, so that worked out, but there was no need to start burning through warranties with new, unused equipment. With the new 2013 model projectors coming out, it will be good to see what the new "best" models are for different things. My JVC RS45 was rated by many places as the best 2D projector for less than $5000 (I paid $2600). If you really want 3D, then I would look elsewhere. With a fully light controlled room, you don't night a "light canon" either, and don't be fooled by the bogus contrast ratios. Almost everyone will say 500,000:1 or something crazy. Keep in mind that the high reading is with the projector on high power mode with the smallest screen image (brighter) displaying the brightest white it can display with the iris wide open for one end of that reading, and then the other end is with the projector turned off. Nobody views things at max white, on a 20" diag image 2 feet from the wall with high lamp mode. And how can you compare contrast when your "black" is when the projector is off? At a minimum, it should be with the projector on, displaying the darkest black it can muster. Nice thing about my JVC for example, is it has the industry best real black level, and has a real contrast of 50,000:1. Most of those other popular projectors that have 500,000:1 ratios come in at about 10,000:1 in comparison tests to the JVC. Again, who knows what 2013 will yield when all of the hot models are out in mass, but I would wait until closer to the completion date before worrying about it. You could research the heck out of it now, and then in 6-9 months when you are in the house and actually done, see that you could have gotten something better, or the 2014 models are trickling out and have to start research over.

Well, that is a long enough read for now for people. Let me know what other questions you have. I have access to a number of resources on the subject depending on what the questions are, so you don't have to believe me if you don't want to.

Oh, but don't worry, just because I like this or that, I won't try to exclude other options in any advice. I love my JVC, but you may have different needs, or price points. This isn't AVS, so I know that we all have real world budgets here. And what is important to one person, isn't to the next.